We’ve been asking for it ever since the series debut, and now we’re finally getting an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan. Previously known by the code name Assassin’s Creed Red, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be the latest entry in the long-running Assassin’s saga and will now be competing directly with Ghost of Yotei, as well as other heavy-hitting games in February like Monster Hunter Wilds. That said, of all the upcoming video games, an AC game set in Japan is likely going to be one of the most anticipated upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games. Ubisoft let us know we would be getting the world premiere trailer first, but it turns out there was a lot more to show than just a first glimpse at the game. We’ve managed to gather all the footage and information shared online to deliver you the goods about Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Sorry, Nintendo fans, but you won’t be able to partake in this Assassin’s Creed game, but there are still plenty of upcoming Switch games to be excited for.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has had a rough time holding a release date. It was first set to launch on November 15, 2024, but it got hit with a delay in September to February 14, 2025. Now, it’s been pushed back yet again to March 20, 2025. Time will tell if it manages to stick to this date.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows platforms
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC with no last-gen versions.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailers
The premiere trailer introduces us to the world and main characters of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Naoe’s village is attacked and burned by samurai and she follows the way of the shinobi. Yasuke, a foreigner, is introduced as a samurai in training and is later revealed to have been a part of that attack. The circumstances aren’t clear, but the two do eventually end up working together against a greater threat. What, or who, that is and if it will connect deeper with the greater Assassin’s Creed narrative is still all left in the shadows.
The World Trailer is a quick look at, well, the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It is a mostly serene series of pans through various landscapes and locals in the game, such as small villages at night, a graveyard soaked in the morning dawn, and a rocky shore with the rain beating down. There are also some nice looks at various people and animals simply living their daily lives and performing normal tasks that lend the world a more lived-in feeling.
The Story Trailer begins by highlighting Naoe’s story and how Obunaga came to disrupt her life and set her on the path to being an assassin. Yasuke’s section shows his samurai training, but also the discrimination he faced among other soldiers for his skin color. The two are initially at odds but realize they somehow share a fate and team up.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay
The Ubisoft Forward extended gameplay walkthrough presented us with a ton of raw gameplay to show us how the game will play when we get our hands on it.
It begins with an exploration segment that shows how you can naturally encounter NPCs with sidequests while wandering through towns.
We’ve previously had two protagonists in Assassin’s Creed with Syndicate, however, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will make both Naoe and Yasuke play in their own unique styles. The Ubisoft Forward extended gameplay walkthrough presented us with a ton of raw gameplay to show us how the game will play when we get our hands on it.
Naoe will be your more traditional stealthy assassin character thanks to her shinobi training. She will be able to hide in the shadows and use distractions and ninja tools like kunai, shuriken, smoke bombs, and a grappling hook to move around stages undetected. She will also use the iconic hidden blade to perform assassinations. In her gameplay, we see she has the ability to use Eagle Vision to highlight enemies even through some walls if close enough.
Naoe will have a detection meter while in stealth that gradually fills if you’re not behind cover or crawling through bushes near an enemy. Light also plays an important role, and extinguishing light sources can not only help you stay undetected, but also distract enemies.
As another method for assassination, Naoe can use her chain sickle to pull herself to unaware enemies from a distance and take them down. She also has a nonlethal grab where she can pull enemies into isolated areas before choosing to assassinate them or knock them out.
Yasuke, on the other hand, is a samurai who prefers to take on enemies in a more direct manner. His playstyle will revolve around aggression, with combos, blocks, and parries to overpower foes. He will have access to katanas, kanbo, bows, and more melee weapons to go with his heavier armor. In combat, we see him dodge what looks like an unblockable attack marked with a red flash before countering with a heavy swing. Blue attacks can be blocked or parried and leave the attacker vulnerable if you deflect the entire combo. The brutal finishing moves are back and just as devastating.
Enemies will also have a yellow bar above their health representing armor that can be broken with enough strikes.
You can decide which character you want to use on each mission based on the situation or your preference. Each one will have their own skills to unlock and use, as well as stats and gear that is exclusive to them.
There’s also mention of a spy network and information-gathering system. This could be similar to the Brotherhood system of recruiting new assassins to send on different tasks, but it hasn’t been shown off yet. All that is known is that you will be able to recruit new allies with their own skills to help you on your quest.
Oh, and most importantly, you can pet the dog.
In December of 2024 several developers on the project hosted an AMA on Reddit where they answered several community questions. One of the most asked question was related to the game’s length, which was compared to Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, but we got a new detail about a “Canon mode.” This new option will essentially remove all the game’s choices. “As for choices, they are present, and some have an impact but play less of a branching role than on Odyssey on the core narrative. Choices come more into play when recruiting allies and romance some of the characters. Since the fan base is divided on branching dialogues, we have incorporated an option called CANON MODE which allows you to play the game with choices already made for you, to give you a choice free experience. Hope this makes it fun for everyone.”
In terms of the game’s linearity, the devs had this to say: “Let me try to put more context on the Non-linearity of the storytelling. Most of the Main targets questlines can be tackled through exploration and are not in a predetermined order (although the gameflow does suggest an optimal path through exploration and progression). However, each target has a coherent story with bottleneck section that can introduce more linear and cinematic narrative sections. The particularity is that we leave open many sections to be played with Naoe or Yasuke which can impact the way some of the questlines evolve.” That said, the team did specify that the game will have one canon ending.
Gear will be obtained both through chests and picked up off special enemies, as well as from quest rewards and merchants.
If you prefer to play the game in native Japanese, that will also be an option for you.
The game will also feature romance options, short-term and long-term, for both Yasuke and Naoe. These can be seen at your hideout where you gather all your companions to relax and talk with everyone you’ve met.
Digital Trends was able to sit down with a six hour demo of Assassin’s Creed Shadows with game director Charles Benopit and creative director Jonothan Dumont. You can read our full impressions here, but we were impressed with how different the two protagonists felt, not just in gameplay but in how the world reacted to them based on their backgrounds. There was an intentional focus to make each character unique and give players reasons to play with each. “We actually want weaknesses in each of these characters,” Dumont says. “For Naoe, it was very important that fighting three or four people at the same time or fighting larger archetypes was tough.”
“We made sure that Yasuke feels stronger in a fight, but not in a way that Naoe is punished,” Benoit adds. “Finding this tight balance of not having a character feel useless while the other is overpowering is hard.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows preorder
As soon as Assassin’s Creed Shadows got its final release date, preorders were up and available for purchase via Ubisoft’s official website on the platform of your choice. As you would expect from this publisher, there are few of editions running the entire pricing spectrum, so let’s break it all down for you.
Standard Edition – $70
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Thrown to the Dogs day 1 quest
- Claws of Awaji expansion (expected 2025)
Digital Deluxe Edition – $90
- Everything from the Standard Edition
- Deluxe Pack which includes:
- Sekireyu Dual Pack (Sekiryu Gear Set for both Naoe and Yasuke, Eye of the Dragon Katana, Claw of the Dragon Long Katana, Sekiryu Beast Mount, and Dragon Tooth Trinket.)
- Hideout Pack (Sekiryu Wagasa, Sekiryu Tapestry, Sekiryu Mask, and Sekiryu Mizubachi.)
- 5 Mastery points
Collector’s Edition (GameStop exclusive) – $230
- Everything from all prior editions
- Naoe and Yasuke dual character statue (15.7 inches tall).
- Unique SteelBook case.
- Collector’s art book (76 pages).
- Naoe’s katana tsuba (life-sized).
- World map.
- Creed wall scroll (27.6×11.8 inches).
- Two sumi-e lithographs (5.3×7.5 inches each).
